It's been 1 week, 1 day since we landed in Nigeria, and I think I will like it here. I am starting to see the little things that make people stay here for way longer than their original assignments. I love looking out the windows of our car at the people on the sides of the road. Everyone is vibrant and happy (for the most part, of course). I know that there is a lot of hardship here, more so than in other places, but the people here are friendly towards me (95% of the time), always seem to offer kind greetings and return a smile. They frequently say "You're welcome" as a greeting - meaning "You are welcome here". Which I really enjoy hearing. So far, Ive had nothing but good experiences and *knock on wood* no stomach issues. But I think that stems from being in a hotel that caters to foreigners and the super wealthy. Our hotel has 6 or 7 different restaurants, so far our favorite has been the Chinese, but one can't eat that at every meal. Everything seems to be pretty fresh and properly cooked.
A few nights ago we went to a boxing match. Not exactly my idea of a great Sunday night, but the tickets were free and it was held in our hotel's convention center. Although we somehow missed all of the boxing, we saw quite a few musical acts that I really enjoyed. It was quite a production and a packed house. My favorite part was the audience though. Several times songs were played and it was like the Nigerians just couldn't sit still and had to get up and dance. Young, old, male, and female. They just couldn't contain their joy and had to dance. I loved it. I can't really think of a song in the US that is so loved across all generations that people can't help but stand up and dance.
Today some wonderful ladies took me around to several different shopping markets. I am so thankful that they did this for me, because after visiting the mall/super market closest to where we are, I was feeling a little down about what I could possibly cook here. Turns out, there are several other places to shop for food and you usually have to go to multiple places to get everything you need. Which is fine with me, since I've got plenty of time to kill during the day. There were lots of American brands and I found all of the things that I was sort of freaking out about having to cook/live without, i.e. ground coffee (not instant), coffee creamer, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, M&Ms, canned corn, fresh Atlantic seafood, fresh dairy milk, granola bars, vegetable oil, etc.. I was also able to see where to buy different electronics, appliances, party supplies, perfumes, office supplies, and furniture. I am so relieved that I was able to find these other stores. And so grateful that I had kind people to show me these places instead of just having to figure it out on my own. So today I feel relieved and very lucky.
I still haven't been to one of the local markets, I hear that those can be a bit intimidating because you're expected to barter for everything. Looking forward to that adventure though.
Sorry about the lack of pictures, I haven't been taking too many because I've heard that it's sometimes not appropriate here, but I haven't quite figured out those cultural differences yet.
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